Ryuuguu
by Capella Alpha Aurigae
Summary: RG Veda. Ashura and Yasha pay a visit to the Ryuu clan, and Ashura attempts to apologize for things past. Post-series, some Ashura/Yasha.


**Note: **In this story I have referred to Ashura with masculine pronouns for the sake of convenience, though s/he is in fact genderless.

**Disclaimer:** RG Veda belongs to CLAMP, not me.

Everywhere they went they were met with profound changes in landscape. Apparently, Tenkai wanted them to remember that it was not the world they had known centuries ago. It was different enough that coming into the territory of the Ryuu clan wasn't an unbearable reminder of its one time king, as Ashura had expected it to be. But it wasn't entirely unlike the first time Ashura had come to the Westland; there was more water than he had ever seen before.

By the time Ashura and Yasha had arrived in a waterside town close to Ryuuguu, spoken to the local Ryuu clan officials to make an appointment with Ryuu-ou (their names must have held some sway, since they managed to acquire one for the next morning) and found an open room at a guest house, it was well into the night. The room wasn't very big and didn't have much of a view, but Ashura found that if he leaned half out the window and craned to the right, he could see between the other buildings of the town to the water. It was all a deep blue-black, and the moonlight reflected off it, highlighting its ups and downs, its waves and ripples.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"If you keep leaning like that, you're going to fall out."

"I'm fine, Ya – Ya_sha!_" Ashura objected as his companion pulled him back from the windowsill by the waist. "I was only trying to see. There's too much in the way to see from in here." Ashura pouted a little, but didn't try to move from Yasha's hold, instead leaning back against him.

"You can look at the water as much as you like in the morning. We have to go down to the shore early to get our boat to Ryuuguu."

"I know, but…it's so – have you ever seen anything like it, Yasha?"

"Never. I don't believe any lake in Tenkai ever reached such a size before." Yasha smiled slightly and shook his head. "You're right. It is very beautiful."

"Mm-hm."

They stood together silently for a while, until Ashura spoke again. "You're coming with me tomorrow, right?" He fidgeted with one of Yasha's sleeves, not looking at the man's face.

"Of course."

"You…you don't have to, you know." Ashura felt the arms around his waist tighten reflexively, and continued hurriedly, "I only mean, this is something that I need to do, but you don't, so – and if you came, then it wouldn't be…" Ashura half-expected Yasha to interrupt, but he seemed to be waiting for Ashura to finish explaining. "It wouldn't really be fair. He…Ryuu-ou, he must be angry with me, and he's _right_ to, but if I have you with me, he might think – think that – " Ashura couldn't think of the words for what he meant to say. Eventually he just looked up at Yasha, to see if he understood.

Yasha sighed. "For the same reason you wouldn't let Tenou send the Ryuu clan advance notice that we were coming?"

Ashura nodded. Yasha hadn't agreed with that reasoning, though he had followed Ashura's decision (like he almost always did). Still, it wouldn't have felt right. Tenou was Tentei, and it would have made it seem like Ashura was under his protection. "I shouldn't be protected. Not when I don't deserve to be forgiven in the first place."

"Ashura." Yasha placed his hands on Ashura's shoulders, turning the other to face him. "In the first place, Ryuu-ou does not have the right to hold anything against you, even supposing he does, which I don't believe. In the second, I will not leave your side. Not willingly. You know that."

Ashura did know. He shouldn't have bothered asking. "Yes. You did promise. I'm sorry." He hugged Yasha, trying to show that yes, he understood, and it meant more than anything, even if Ashura got caught up in other things sometimes.

"It's all right." Yasha gave a light kiss to the top of Ashura's head. "It's late. We should go to sleep."

"In a little bit? Please?"

"…Fine."

To the edge of the horizon in the west, the shoreline slinking its way north and south, the water extended as far as Ashura could see, still faintly tinged by the reflected pink and gold of dawn. A few of the highest points of the land still lay above the surface, but only a very few. A few docks away several large boats were being loaded with baskets and bundles. From his seat on the edge of the dock, Ashura could clearly hear the creaking of the boards of the boats and docks, the clunks of thrown objects and the shouting from the loaders and the boatmen. Despite this, the morning seemed still somehow. Maybe it was the smoothness of the water, or the way Yasha stood silently beside him, Yamatou in hand, his good eye fixed on the water.

Ashura was trying not to think about what was going to happen when they got to the palace of the Ryuu clan. It gave him a sick feeling in his stomach. No matter how much Yasha said it would be all right and nothing was Ashura's fault, the fact remained that Yasha wasn't always right, and not everyone would see things the way he did. That was one of the things Ashura had learned since before, and one of the ones he wished he hadn't. The world would be a much more pleasant place if it went the way Yasha said it would. That was how Ashura had imagined it before – but this wasn't before, not at all, as the water in front of him reminded him.

The boat seemed to appear out of nowhere, suddenly moving across the patch of water at which Ashura had been gazing. He jumped to his feet and pointed. "Yasha, look!"

It was much smaller than the cargo boats, and rowed by only one person. When it reached the edge of the dock Ashura could see the dragons painted onto its sides. The boatman (a young man, younger than Yasha or he, Ashura was sure) called up to them.

"You are? Ashura-sama? Yasha-ou?"

They affirmed that yes, they were, and apparently the boatman needed no further proof of their identities. "Get aboard, then. You have an appointment with Ryuu-ou."

Ashura didn't know whether there was too much time before their audience or too little. His nervousness only got worse, pacing in the antechamber to Ryuu-ou's audience hall, watching schools of fish swim by the windows. The enchantments of Ryuuguu, Yasha had explained, kept the water from entering the inner chambers of the palace, while making the water around the palace and in the outer walkways breathable. It all reminded Ashura uncomfortably of Ashura-jou. Even though he had never been inside his own clan's underwater castle, memories of it lurked in his mind, inherited by the other him from his father. It was always unsettling when he found himself recalling things that way, and it certainly didn't make him feel any better under these circumstances.

Yasha and Ashura were the only ones waiting in the antechamber, and the Ryuu clan members who passed through gave them a wide berth and furtive, sideways glances. Maybe they recognized them. Maybe they just stood out. Ashura couldn't tell. Yasha was obviously on guard, holding Yamatou as if he were about to unsheathe it, for all he might say that there was nothing to worry about. But then, for all that Ashura might say, he was relieved that Yasha hadn't agreed to stay behind.

There was no announcement when it was time for the two of them to enter the audience hall. The only signal was the exit from the room of several Ryuu clansmen in armor. One of them looked to Ashura and Yasha and jerked his head in the direction of the door, by way of an instruction.

For a brief moment Ashura was frozen before the threshold, but Yasha's hand on his shoulder served to make him move. He had to do this. Had to.

The room was not as large as Ashura had expected, less than half the size of Tenou's audience hall in the capital. There was a dais, not a very high one, where one man (he was tall, even sitting, handsome, with long blond hair and liquid-looking eyes, and was Ryuu-ou, Ashura told himself, Ryuu-ou) sat and another (this one was similar in build, but dark-haired and with a very different sort of face) stood, leaning against the chair.

"Yasha-ou," the standing man remarked, after Yasha and Ashura had knelt in front on the dais, "it's been a long time."

"That it has," Yasha agreed. Ashura gave him a questioning look. Though these two had never shown themselves at Tenou's court while Ashura was there, he knew that they were Hakuryuu (Ryuu-ou) and Seiryuu, the cousins of Ryuu-ou – Ryuu-chan – his and Yasha's Ryuu-ou. He didn't know that Yasha had known them before. Yasha shook his head. "Not now," he whispered.

"You may stand," said Ryuu-ou. He tone was cold and clipped. "What is your business here, Yasha-ou? Ashura-sama?"

"I…" Ashura began, having said the words to himself many times, "I wanted…to apologize to you. Because you once lost someone important because of me. I know there's nothing I can do to make up for that, but still I thought…I should apologize to you." It didn't seem like enough, but it was all he had been able to think of, so there was nothing left but to wait for an answer.

After a small silence, Ryuu-ou spoke again in the same tone. "You've already apologized to Tentei's court as a whole. Tentei," _your brother_, Ashura heard under the title, though maybe he imagined it, "has absolved you from all blame. Why come here?"

"Because – because Ryu – Nahga," Ashura used his friend's given name, thinking that these men would recognize it best, "was someone I…I cared about a lot, too. And he used to – he - " Ashura felt the corners of his eyes sting and his breath catch in his throat. No, no, don't cry, not now! "He told me about you two, and how you were – like his brothers, so I, when I - " There was his blood again, Ryuu-chan's blood, sliding off the impossibly clear blade of Shuratou and his best friend was dying with a regretful smile, and Ashura didn't want to see this now. He covered his face with his hands, trying futilely to hide the tears. Not now. "So I thought you'd – really miss him and I wanted to say – I'm sorry…" Ashura hoped Ryuu-ou and Seiryuu had been able to understand him, because he didn't think he could say any more. He hadn't wanted this to go this way.

Yasha was holding him again, Ashura realized a few moments later. He tried to collect himself – breathed slowly, wiped the tears off his face, raised his head. Yasha had locked eyes with Ryuu-ou, as if challenging him.

"No," Ashura said softly, " don't, please."

"I see." Ryuu-ou's tone was final this time. "Your apology is accepted. Dismissed." He started to stand, then apparently changed his mind. "Seiryuu, see them out."

"Wha -? All right." The dark-haired brother sighed and descended from the dais. "Come on."

Ashura and Yasha shared a confused glance, then bowed again to Ryuu-ou and followed Seiryuu out of the hall.

They walked out of the antechamber into the web of watery corridors that made up most of Ryuuguu. Ashura was unclear as to what had just happened, and he thought he ought to ask Yasha or Seiryuu, but the Ryuu clansman spoke before he had the chance.

"Don't worry about my brother. He understands, he's just…" Seiryuu shrugged helplessly. "Listen. We've had a long time to think about this – and we do know what happened. Back then, all of us, you two, and Nahga, we did what we did. However much we regret it, there's nothing to do but go on with life. That's our clan's way, at least. And besides," and here he looked straight into Ashura's eyes, "if Nahga didn't blame you, we shouldn't either. He was our king, after all."

Ashura nodded dumbly, fighting off the renewed stinging of his eyes.

"We thank you," Yasha said for both of them.

"Don't mention it," Seiryuu waved a hand. "You should come by Ryuuguu again sometime. The Dragon Sea's too big for only us."

"Dragon Sea?" It was a phrase Ashura had never heard before.

"Ryuu clan name for it. It's bigger than any lake, so we call it a sea. They say the human world is covered with water, much more than this, and it's called the sea. So we adopted the name. Of course," Seiryuu added, "the sea is supposed to be full of salt, but this – "

"Salt? Why would the water have salt in it?" Ashura asked.

"Like just now." Seiryuu pointed to Ashura's face.

"Oh." Ashura was embarrassed. "Salty like tears."

"So they say."

"It's only a story," Yasha said. "To mean that the human world is full of grief. Covered with tears."

"True." Seiryuu put his hands up. "Though you can just as easily say the human world itself is only a story, since you can't go there."

Ashura's previous emotions, fear and grief and other things tied to them, had been lightened, if only a little, as he was distracted by Seiryuu's conversation.

"You know," Seiryuu told him, "they also say that before the Ryuu clan existed, all the realms of water belonged to the Ashura."

"What?" Ashura was startled.

"It's just a few lines in old history texts, but it's interesting, isn't it? Ah." Seiryuu stopped, as the hallway they had been following opened onto one of Ryuuguu's underwater docks. "You two are heading back to the capital, then?"

"Yes, probably," Yasha answered. "Unless Ashura would rather we remain?"

Though Ashura wanted to hear more of what Seiryuu had been saying, he thought of Ryuu-ou before he decided. "I couldn't, not now, but…some other time. We should, don't you think?"

Yasha nodded. "If you would like."

"Good," said Seiryuu. "Now I'd better go back to help my brother…I'll see you then."

"He reminds me of Ryuu-chan. Just a little," Ashura told Yasha after Seiryuu had gone.

"I don't see the resemblance."

"It's…I don't know." Ashura frowned. "But you were right. I mean, about the Ryuu clan."

"I don't think there's anyone alive who would judge you as harshly as you do yourself, Ashura."

Ashura didn't answer. Maybe Yasha was right. Maybe everyone else had just forgotten what had happened. While for Ashura it was hardly more than a year since the fall of Zenmi-jou and the death of so many people, for the rest of the world the horror of it had had centuries to fade. Maybe their pain and their anger had been lost in the rising of desert sands over the old castle, "Or the sea," Ashura muttered.

"What?" Yasha looked down at him in concern.

"Nothing. Let's go."


End file.
